Day Twelve

She Said:

Day Twelve of our own Julie/Julia Project was a rousing success!! We made one thing from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman and one surprise!

First, the item from Serving Up the Harvest. We wanted a salad to go along with our surprise dinner, so I picked up some fresh organic spring mix and served that simply with this salad dressing.

Black & Green Olive Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
¼ cup pitted black olives
¼ cup pitted green olives
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a blender or food processor, process the garlic and oregano until finely chopped. Add the black and green olives and process to finely chop. Scrape down the sides of the container, pour in the vinegar, and process until mixed.

2. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and process until the mixture is thick and smooth. Season to taste with the pepper.

3. Serve immediately or store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. It will need remixing before serving.

Now we LOVE olives! So this was a perfect dressing for us. Although, once you get the vinegar and pepper and oregano and garlic in there, it's really only reminiscent of olives. It's not an in-your-face olive flavor. Still quite delicious! And perfect for the simple salad.

Now the surprise. We picked up another couple of cookbooks to use during our own Julie/Julia Project to make things a little more challenging when we had the time. This recipe is from Tyler's Ultimate by Tyler Florence.

The Ultimate Spaghetti Carbonara

Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 bacon slices, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 onion, chopped
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound spaghetti
Cracked black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.

Heat a 3-count of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and onion and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the onion is caramelized and the bacon is crisp. While that's going, crack the eggs into a big serving bowl. Add the cream and cheese and whisk. Scrape the bacon and onion into the bowl along with the cooking fat.

By now your pasta water has come to a boil. Throw in the spaghetti and give it a stir to separate the strands; cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Scoop out about ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and add that to the bowl with the bacon and eggs. Then drain the spaghetti, add it to the bowl, and give everything a toss. Invert a plate on top of the bowl to hold in the heat and let the pasta set for 5 minutes. Remove the plate, toss in some salt and lots of cracked black pepper and the parsley, and boom: You've got spaghetti carbonara!

Now, I've only had spaghetti carbonara one other time and it was in an "authentic" Italian restaurant. And I didn't like it. I only ate a little of it and didn't take home the leftovers. So I was a bit nervous about this recipe. But my fears have been allayed! This is one truly delicious meal! I actually made yummy noises all the way through dinner. Fabulous!

He Said:

Day Twelve, indeed! Now that was a great cooking day. The salad dressing that She talks about above was as good a dressing as I've ever had. Seriously. Rich, earthy and savory. The spaghetti carbonara exceeded my expectations. And my expectations were actually pretty high. Such a great meal. In fact, 12 hours later (at work, grrrr) I find that I am craving that meal again. Hmmmmm. I wonder if I could get She to bring some over for me. Just kidding, honey. I know you would but I think I can wait.

Or can I?

*wink*

Day 12/365:Recipe 8/175